Mugabe - master of divide and rule tactics

President Robert Mugabe's seeming encouragement of Zanu-PF's escalating factional wars shows that he is "a master of divide and rule politics", analysts say.

The sentiment was made yesterday as the ruling party's ugly infighting turns increasingly violent and messier by the day, with supporters of embattled Vice President Joice Mujuru and those of Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa going at each other hammer and tongs over the past few months.

The fights have crystallised in Mujuru being accused by her party enemies of plotting to assassinate Mugabe, while nine of Zanu-PF's provincial chairpersons, who were only voted into office a year ago, have been booted out under controversial circumstances ahead of the party's elective congress scheduled for early next month.

Analysts told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday that the factional and succession wars had been ventilated by the surprise entry into formal politics by Mugabe's wife, Grace, a few months ago - who has made it her mission to see Mujuru deposed, a stunt she says she also pulled a decade ago when Mnangagagwa was similarly slapped down.

This is despite the fact that Mugabe still leaves Mujuru as the acting president - the very person allegedly at the heart of plots to oust and assassinate the nonagenarian - every time he goes on his numerous external trips.

It is this confusing and contradictory behaviour that is making analysts to conclude that the 90-year-old is "a keen student of Machiavellian politics" whose philosophy of "maintaining power by any means necessary and at all costs" has now become legendary.

University of Kent law lecturer, Alex Magaisa, said there were a lot of things happening around Mugabe and in Zanu-PF that did not make any sense.

"There are too many contradictions, but the one explanation for this is simply that Mugabe is a master of divide and rule politics.

"He thrives on the vulnerability of those around him. The more they feel unsure and insecure, the better for him," Magaisa said.

He added that this was the reason why Mugabe was not protecting Mujuru from the scathing attacks she was receiving from his wife and Mnangagwa's supporters, was at the same time not sacking her.

"If Mujuru was such a threat, why would he leave her in charge? But he knows that she is vulnerable and grateful that she has not been sacked so he retains command over her.

"At the same time, those who are pushing for her removal may gain comfort from the fact that he has not admonished them, but they are equally confused because he is not acting on their propaganda and is even leaving her in charge while he is away," Magaisa said.

"Thus Mugabe has all parties where he wants them to be, fighting each other and vulnerable. He remains unscathed, looking powerful and untouchable.

"I cannot think of any other explanation apart from the divide and rule strategy that Mugabe is so good at," he added.

Another analyst, Dewa Mavhinga, said part of the confusion arose from the dual character of Mujuru's role as both Zanu-PF and government vice president.

He said although some in the party were unhappy with her, this did not affect her government role, where the law demanded that she be accorded her place and be allowed to act as president when Mugabe was absent.

"Unless and until constitutional procedures to remove her are followed, she remains the country's VP, even if she loses her post in Zanu-PF.

"This is similar to the Malawi situation where Joyce Banda was fired from her party but remained State VP, who constitutionally

took over when Bingu waMutharika died," Mavhinga said.

But Maxwell Saungweme said Zimbabweans should not read too much into the fact that Mujuru was acting president when Mugabe was away, as this meant nothing as the party's elective congress drew nearer.

"He is just afraid of creating a constitutional crisis before their congress given that there are so many power-hungry people in Zanu-PF and government at present and so many centres of power.

"He is in a dilemma and is no longer totally in charge. There are so many moving pieces, so many centres of power. Grace's recklessness is not helping her husband in any way," he said.

Saungwene went on to say the confusion surrounding Mujuru, with Grace and others calling on her to resign yet Mugabe was leaving her as acting president, was clear testimony of the fact that both Zanu-PF and Government were currently operating very shambolically.

"There is total chaos. Grace does not understand the provisions of the new Constitution that make it impossible for her husband to dismiss a sitting vice president at a rally. You can't do that,"Saungweme said.

He added that the president had no power under the new Constitution to just dismiss a vice president at his whim.

"But again Zanu-PF knows no constitution and no rules and Grace and others like her are   in their normal mode of thinking where they view Mugabe as more supreme that even the constitutions of both Zanu-PF and Zimbabwe.

"Yes, in Zanu-PF Mugabe is the constitution and what he says goes, but just firing a vice president of Zimbabwe will create a constitutional crisis which I think Mugabe and a few others in Zanu-PF are trying to avoid," he said.